Secretary Clinton: Urge Uzbekistan to Fight Forced Child Labor

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The Open Society Foundations and partner organizations have written to Secretary of State Clinton asking her to urge the Uzbek government to take meaningful steps to come into compliance with its international obligations to fight forced labor, particularly during the annual cotton harvest.

This request comes on the eve of an Uzbekistan-sponsored convening of the United Nations Children Fund, the International Labour Organization (ILO) Moscow Office, and the European Commission in Tashkent to discuss Uzbekistan’s compliance with its ILO commitments. The letter urged the State Department not to waive downgrading Uzbekistan to tier three (the lowest status) in this year’s Trafficking in Persons report unless the Uzbek authorities allow ILO representatives unfettered monitoring of this fall’s cotton harvest.